s  t/  w  rSfc 


■  \ 


A  31  ERIC  AN  HOARD  OP  COMMISSIONERS  FOR 

FOREIGN  MISSIONS. 


ON  THE 


**r 


& 


•>-V 


USE  OF  MISSIONARY  MAPS 


AT  THE 

MONTHLY  CONCERT. 


BOSTON: 

PRINTED  BY  CROCKER  &  BREWSTER, 

47  Washington  Street. 

1842. 


AMERICAN  BOARD  OP  COMMISSIONERS  FOR 


FOREIGN  MISSIONS. 


ON  THE 


USE  OF  MISSIONARY  MAPS 


AT  THE 


MONTHLY  CONCERT, 


BOSTON: 

PRINTED  BY  CROCKER  &  BREWSTER, 

47  Washington  Street. 

1842. 


I 


The  following  Address  was  prepared  by  a  special  Committee  of  Pastors 
appointed  by  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Mis¬ 
sions,  consisting  of  Rev.  Edward  Hooker,  D.  D.,  Rev.  Albert 
Barnes,  and  Rev.  Daniel  Crosby. 


ON  THE  USE  OF  MISSIONARY  MAPS  AT 
THE  MONTHLY  CONCERT. 


To  the  Pastors  of  the  Churches  patronising  the  3Iissions 

under  the  care  of  the  American  Board  of  Commis¬ 
sioners  for  Foreign  Missions. 

Christian  Brethren  : 

The  Board,  by  whose  appointment  this  paper  is  pre» 
pared,  regard  it  one  of  their  most  pleasant  and  invalua¬ 
ble  privileges,  that  they  may  address  you  with  perfect 
fraternal  freedom  and  confidence,  on  the  means  for  pro¬ 
moting  the  spirit  of  missions  in  the  churches  ;  and  they 
earnestly  hope  for  your  cooperation  in  all  proper  mea¬ 
sure  for  giving  impulse  to  the  great  enterprize  of  evan¬ 
gelizing  all  nations. 

The  means  for  rendering  the  Monthly  Concert  inter¬ 
esting  and  effective,  is  a  subject  which  has  much  engaged 
their  attention,  and  among  them  that  which  constitutes 
the  title  of  this  paper.  They  feel  convinced,  and  you 
will  all  doubtless  admit,  that  in  this  matter  much  de¬ 
pends  upon  the  pastors.  Whatever  pastors  heartily  feel, 
and  wisely  and  diligently  do,  they  believe  will  have  pow¬ 
erful  influence  in  the  churches.  It  was  for  these  reasons, 
among  others,  that  at  their  anniversary,  held  in  Phila¬ 
delphia,  September,  1841,  the  Board  appointed  a  special 
committee  “  to  prepare,  carefully,  and  as  early  as  pos¬ 
sible,  a  Missionary  Paper,  to  be  addressed  to  pastors  of 
churches,  and  to  be  published  under  the  direction  of  the 
Prudential  Committee  ;  in  which  the  subject  shall  be 
fully  and  earnestly  presented,  and  such  details  given  on 
the  methods  of  preparing  maps  as  may  be  necessary  for 
the  assistance  of  pastors.” 


4 


Believing  it  important  that  this  subject  should  be 
brought  before  the  minds  of  our  brethren,  pastors,  not 
as  a  sanguine  and  perhaps  uncertain  and  deceptive 
scheme  upon  paper,  but  as  a  plan  fairly  tested,  and  proved 
practicable  and  useful,  this  committee  have  prepared 
themselves,  by  correspondence  with  several  pastors,  and 
by  bringing  together  the  results  of  their  own  experience, 
to  give  statements  of  experiments  which  have  been  made, 
their  influence  on  the  minds  of  Christians,  and  so  far  as 
practicable  the  matured  views  of  the  pastors  who  have 
made  them.  A  few  of  the  statements  will  be  recognized 
as  having  been  published  in  the  Missionary  Herald  and 
elsewhere.  Most  of  them,  however,  have  been  recently 
collected  by  correspondence.  They  will  be  arranged 
under  numerical  heads,  as  follows  : 

I.  Experiments  by  different  Pastors. 

The  earliest  experiments  in  the  use  of  maps  in  the 
Monthly  Concert,  known  to  this  committee,  were  made 
in  the  year  1827,  by  one  of  its  members,  the  Rev.  Daniel 
Crosby,  late  pastor  of  a  church  in  Charlestown,  Massa¬ 
chusetts.  On  becoming  established  in  the  place  of  his 
first  ministrations,  a  retired  country  parish  in  this  State, 
he  “  found  the  Concert  in  existence,  but  without  any 
strong  hold  on  the  affections  of  the  people;  and  more¬ 
over  regarded  by  them  as  a  mere  prayer-meeting  for  pro¬ 
fessors  of  religion,  which  few  others  were  expected  to 
attend.”  The  necessity  thus  existing  for  special  efforts 
to  raise  this  meeting  from  its  very  low  state,  and  render 
it  instrumental  in  promoting  the  spirit  of  missions  and  of 
Christian  liberality  among  his  people,  led  him  to  the  use 
of  maps,  in  illustration  of  lectures  on  missionary  geogra¬ 
phy,  and  also  of  current  monthly  intelligence  on  mis¬ 
sions.  From  his  account  of  his  method  of  procedure, 
published  in  the  Missionary  Herald  for  March,  1839, 
the  following  extracts  are  given. 

“  Having  formed  my  plan,  and  prepared  myself  on  my 
first  subject,  I  made  an  address  to  the  people  at  the  close 
of  the  service  on  the  Sabbath  preceding  the  first  Mon¬ 
day  in  the  month,  in  which  I  explained  the  design  of 
the  Concert,  and  the  proper  manner  of  conducting  it.  I 


5 


remarked  upon  the  necessity  of  understanding  the  object 
for  which  we  prayed,  of  having  it  distinctly  before  the 
mind  ;  and  of  course  upon  the  necessity  of  information. 
I  stated  that  it  was  not  so  much  the  object  of  the  meet¬ 
ing  to  offer  a  specific  number  of  prayers,  as  to  create  a 
deep  and  lasting  interest  in  the  subject  of  the  world’s 
salvation.  I  then  unfolded  my  plan,  giving  them  the 
subject  for  the  next  evening,  and  throwing  as  much 
interest  into  its  outlines  as  I  honestly  thought  I  could 
sustain  in  the  filling  up.  If  I  recollect  right,  my  first 
subject  was  South  Africa.  I  exhausted  the  little  stock 
of  travels  in  my  library  ;  faithfully  examined  eleven  vol¬ 
umes  of  the  Christian  Observer  ;  and  got,  as  I  thought, 
a  pretty  correct  knowledge  of  the  condition  and  character 
of  the  people  before  the  introduction  of  Christianity  among 
them.  You  know  what  the  Hottentots  were,  and  how 
interesting  this  would  be.  I  did  not  omit  the  political 
revolutions  of  the  country,  dwelt  upon  the  introduction 
of  Christianity,  traced  its  progress,  and  disclosed  its 
results  as  seen  at  the  present  time  ;  interspersing  anec¬ 
dotes  of  Kireher,  Martyn,  and  others.  In  subsequent 
meetings  I  chose  a  variety  of  topics ;  sometimes  taking 
up  a  particular  district  or  country,  sometimes  a  particu¬ 
lar  mission.  I  took  up  the  two  great  systems  of  eastern 
philosophy,  Brahminism  and  Budhism,  and  detailed  the 
popular  superstitions  founded  on  them.  Another  subject 
was  the  nature  of  Mohammedanism,  and  the  state  of 
Mohammedan  countries.  Another,  the  dispersion,  num¬ 
bers,  and  present  condition  of  the  Jews.  I  give  these  as 
specimens.  In  treating  of  all  these  topics,  I  had  con¬ 
stant  reference  to  maps.  1  had  suspended  before  the 
audience  a  large  map  of  both  hemispheres,  and  generally 
a  map  of  the  particular  country  upon  which  I  was 
remarking.  By  the  one  I  could  point  out  the  relative 
condition  of  the  country,  its  distance  from  some  place 
familiar  to  the  people,  and  the  general  route  by  which  it 
was  approached ;  the  other  was  of  service  in  more 
minute  details.  We  had  our  meeting  in  the  upper  story 
of  the  school-house,  which  was  the  largest  room  we 
could  command,  out  of  the  meeting-house.  I  went 
early,  that  I  might  get  my  maps  in  order.  The  people 
poured  in,  and  soon  the  room  was  filled.  The  experi- 

1  * 


6 


ment  was  triumphantly  successful.  Every  body  was 
interested.  Almost  twelve  years  have  elapsed,  and  yet  I 
can  recal  the  sensations  with  which  I  sat  down  by  my 
study  fire  in  the  evening  after  the  meeting.” 

The  experiment  next  in  order  of  time  and  known  to 
this  committee,  was  made  in  Bowdoin-street  Church, 
Boston,  in  1837.  The  account  of  this  is  given  in  a 
report  on  this  subject,  read  before  the  Board  at  their  last 
annual  meeting.  “  A  map  of  western  and  central  Asia, 
drawn  in  India  ink  and  water  colors,  was  introduced 
into  the  Concert  in  that  church.  It  was,  of  course, 
little  more  than  an  outline  of  the  coasts,  and  of  the  more 
prominent  natural  and  political  divisions.  It  was  found 
to  add  not  a  little  to  the  interest  of  the  meeting.  In  the 
summer  of  the  same  year,  a  map  of  the  world  was  intro¬ 
duced,  seven  and  a  half  feet  by  five,  constructed  on 
Mercator’s  projection,  or  on  the  hypothesis  of  the  earth’s 
being  an  extended  plain  ;  but  it  was  never  of  much  use, 
the  scale  being  too  small  for  a  map  of  the  world,  and 
Mercator’s  projection  not  being  easily  apprehended  by 
people  in  general. 

“  Meanwhile,  the  maps  most  depended  on,  from  month 
to  month,  were  made  by  the  individual  who  communi¬ 
cated  the  intelligence ;  and  were  hastily  and  roughly 
drawn,  costing  no  more  time  and  labor  than  every  one 
must  give  to  his  preparations  who  would  succeed  in  the 
meeting.  The  expense,  too,  of  these  maps,  which  was 
defrayed  from  the  contributions  at  the  meeting,  was  very 
small.  In  the  autumn  of  last  year,  a  hemispherical  map 
was  constructed,  six  feet  in  diameter,  embracing  the 
eastern  continent;  and  it  promises  well,  though,  for  spe¬ 
cial  occasions,  there  is  nothing  so  good  as  the  cheap,  easily 
made,  rough  outline,  which  any  body  can  make,  by  con¬ 
necting  a  few  sheets  of  paper  together  with  wafers. 
The  map  of  central  and  western  Asia,  already  men¬ 
tioned,  has  been  in  frequent  use,  and  is  sufficient  to 
demonstrate  that  it  is  better  to  have  sectional  maps  than 
maps  of  the  world,  or  even  separate  maps  of  the  hemis¬ 
pheres,  if  we  cannot  have  all.” 

The  Rev.  Sil  as  Aiken,  pastor  of  Park-street  Church, 
Boston,  has  furnished  to  this  committee  a  statement,  not 
so  much  of  experiments,  as  of  what  has  been  for  some 


7 


time  a  settled  and  well  arranged  system  of  use  of  maps 
in  the  Monthly  Concert  of  the  Congregational  churches 
of  the  city,  held  in  the  place  of  his  ministrations.  “The 
missionary  maps  are  used  at  the  united  Monthly  Concert 
in  Park-street  Church,  in  the  following  manner  :  The 
large  map  of  the  world  is  suspended  on  the  wall,  back  of 
the  pulpit,  and  far  enough  above  it  to  be  visible  to  all 
the  congregation.  On  this  map,  by  means  of  a  rod  six 
or  seven  feet  long,  is  pointed  out  the  place  of  the  mission 
to  which  attention  is  to  be  directed;  and  the  people  see 
where,  on  the  map  of  the  world,  the  mission  is  situated. 

“Over  the  face  of  this  map  is  then  usually  drawn  the 
map  of  that  particular  mission,  say  of  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  Western  Africa,  Greece,  the  Nestorians,  or 
some  other,  as  the  case  may  be.  This  is  constructed  on 
a  much  larger  scale,  showing  the  locations  of  the  several 
stations  belonging  to  that  mission,  their  relative  position, 
distances,  &c. ;  the  stations  being  indicated  by  red  cir¬ 
cles,  large  enough  to  be  seen  from  any  part  of  the  house. 
The  congregation  having  obtained  from  the  former  map 
a  distinct  idea  of  the  place  of  the  mission,  easily  transfer 
the  idea  to  the  latter.  They  have  only  to  remember 
that  what  was  a  small  space  on  the  map  of  the  world  is 
here  spread  out  as  a  district  or  country,  with  its  moun¬ 
tains,  rivers  and  cities,  all  distinctly  marked.  Informa¬ 
tion  is  communicated  concerning  this  mission.  Some¬ 
thing  may  be  said  of  its  origin  and  history  ;  of  the  former 
and  present  condition  of  the  native  population,  as  to 
civilization,  morals  and  religion  ;  of  political  changes 
going  on  ;  of  the  obstacles  to  the  truth  ;  of  the  condi¬ 
tion  and  prospects  of  the  mission ;  especially  of  recent 
intelligence.  In  the  mean  time,  a  free  use  is  made  of 
the  rod  and  map  in  pointing  out  the  places  spoken  of, 
and  connecting  events  with  the  stations  where  they 
transpired.  Thus  the  eye  greatly  assists  the  memory, 
attention  is  aroused  and  kept  awake,  and  the  facts  stated, 
take  strong  hold  on  the  mind.  If  another  mission  is  to 
be  noticed,  the  proper  map  is  suspended,  and  the  same 
course  adopted  as  before.  Should  the  same  missions 
furnish  subjects  of  remark  at  successive  Monthly  Con¬ 
certs,  the  map  of  the  world,  after  the  first  instance,  is 
used  more  sparingly.” 


8 


The  Rev.  Albert  Barnes,  pastor  of  the  First  Presby¬ 
terian  Church  in  Philadelphia,  writes :  “  I  began  the 
course  of  lectures  at  the  Monthly  Concert  about  four 
years  ago ;  at  first  ivithout  maps  ;  but  I  soon  became 
convinced  of  their  necessity  and  procured  them.  I 
began  with  China  and  travelled  westward  ;  spending,  as 
the  importance  of  the  subject  might  demand,  one,  two, 
or  three  evenings,  on  a  particular  country.” 

The  Rev.  Samuel  I.  Prime,  one  of  the  editors  of  the 
New  York  Observer,  and  formerly  pastor  of  a  church  in 
the  country,  gives  the  following  statement:  “  My  parish 
was  a  manufacturing  village,  where  the  people  were  gen¬ 
erally  intelligent,  and  interested  in  the  cause  of  missions. 
The  Monthly  Concert  was  better  attended  than  any 
other  prayer  meeting ;  but  was  still  neglected  by  so 
many,  that  I  felt  the  importance  of  some  measures  to 
call  out  the  people  on  that  occasion.  The  use  of  maps 
was  attempted ;  and  for  want  of  better  materials  we 
adopted  the  following  plan.  Constructing  a  slight  frame, 
about  six  feet  long  and  four  wide,  we  stretched  cotton 
cloth  upon  it,  on  which  were  drawn,  with  India  ink,  the 
outlines  of  the  country  which  was  to  be  the  subject  of 
remark  at  the  Concert.  It  was  easy  to  make  the  boun¬ 
daries,  rivers,  chief  towns,  &,c.,  so  large  as  to  be  dis¬ 
tinctly  seen  across  the  lecture  room.  But  any  deficien¬ 
cies  discovered  in  the  course  of  the  lecture  were  readily 
supplied  with  a  bit  of  charcoal.  A  series  of  instructions 
was  marked  out,  commencing  with  the  travels  of  our 
blessed  Lord  in  the  land  of  Judea.  A  map  of  Palestine 
was  prepared,  and  all  the  places  in  which  any  of  “  his 
mighty  works  were  done,”  laid  down.  I  then  followed 
him  from  city  to  city,  as  he  “  went  about  doing  good  ;  ” 
and  was  astonished  at  my  own  increased  interest  and  that 
of  the  people,  in  the  mission  of  the  Son  of  God.  Then 
we  followed  the  Apostles  from  place  to  place,  in  Asia 
Minor;  having  another  map  for  that  subject.  Having 
thus  given  the  people  a  view  of  the  spread  of  Chris¬ 
tianity  by  the  early  missions  of  the  church,  I  proposed  to 
take  up  modern  missions,  and  communicate  similarly 
illustrated  intelligence  of  the  gospel  in  various  parts  of 
the  world. 

“  The  construction  of  the  maps  was  simple  and  cheap. 


9 


The  same  frame  being  used  for  all,  there  was  no  ex¬ 
pense  incurred  but  for  the  cotton  cloth ;  and  the  one 
who  drew  the  maps  was  always  more  than  paid  for  the 
trouble,  by  the  knowledge  necessarily  acquired  in  the 
operation.” 

The  Rev.  Henry  B.  Hooker,  pastor  of  a  church  in 
Falmouth,  Mass.,  writes  to  this  committee:  “  At  differ¬ 
ent  times  during  the  five  years  I  have  been  here,  I  have 
made  use  of  maps  to  increase  the  interest  of  the  Monthly 
Concert.  These  have  been  such  rude  outlines  of  differ¬ 
ent  parts  of  the  world  as  I  have  been  able  to  make  with 
ink,  black  and  red,  wafers  for  cities,  &c.  I  have  drawn 
maps  of  Borneo,  Madagascar,  Persia,  and  parts  adjacent. 
These  outlines  have  been  drawn  on  a  scale  large  enough 
to  be  seen  distinctly  in  all  parts  of  our  spacious  vestry. 
I  have  generally  used  in  connection  with  these,  Mitchell’s 
large  map  of  the  world  ;  as  I  could  thus  refer  from  one 
to  the  other,  and  give  a  better  view  of  the  relations  of 
the  particular  region  under  consideration,  to  other  parts 
of  the  world.  A  feather,  dipped  in  black  ink,  and,  as 
occasion  required,  in  red,  was  my  dignified  instrument 
in  drawing  the  outline.  Rivers,  mountains,  lakes,  and 
other  prominent  objects,  were  sketched  with  feather 
dipped  in  ink.  I  thus  succeeded  very  acceptably,  I  be¬ 
lieve.  The  novelty  of  the  matter  excited  much  atten¬ 
tion.” 

The  pastor  of  the  First  Congregational  Church, 
Bennington,  Vt.,  a  member  of  this  committee,  adds  his 
own  statement  on  this  point :  “  I  was  for  a  long  time 
sensible  that  there  was  something  wanting  in  our 
Monthly  Concerts,  to  give  my  people  clear  and  vivid 
conceptions  of  the  wide  extent  to  which  this  is  a  dark 
world,  and  of  the  very  limited  prevalence  of  the  gospel 
as  yet.  Many  Christians  seem  to  suppose  that  the 
world  is  almost  Christianized.  But  it  is  not  easy  to 
make  them  see,  by  mere  preaching  and  stating  facts, 
that  the  work  is  only  begun.  I  had  preached  to  my 
congregation  a  sermon,  prepared  with  much  study 
care  and  research,  on  1  John  v.  19.  ‘  The  whole  world 

lieth  in  wickedness.’  I  gave,  in  that  discourse,  a  de¬ 
scription  of  the  various  portions  of  the  world,  with  the 
forms  of  religious  delusion  prevalent.  Then  I  gave 


10 


arithmetical  estimates  of  the  hundreds  of  millions  of 
Pagans,  Papists,  Mohammedans  and  Jews.  Then  I 
estimated  the  extent  of  land,  here  in  Bennington  county 
and  Vermont,  which  they  would  cover,  if  gathered  in 
one  vast  assembly.  Then  I  showed  how  many  times 
they  would  extend  around  the  globe,  placed  in  a  line  of 
military  closeness.  But  after  all,  I  failed  of  accomplish¬ 
ing  the  impressions  I  wished.  My  hearers  did  not  see 
this  lost  world  as  it  is ;  and  there  was  clearly  something 
more  to  be  done  than  to  describe,  and  give  statistics  and 
work  by  arithmetic.  I  recollected  Jeremiah’s  words, 
“  Mine  eye  affecteth  my  heart ;  ”  and  he  seemed  to  have 
understood  the  philosophy  of  feeling  and  the  means  of 
awakening  it.  I  resolved  on  one  more  experiment  by 
which,  if  possible,  to  make  the  subject  of  the  world’s 
real  condition  preach  to  the  hearts  of  my  people  through 
their  eyes.  I  employed  a  carpenter  to  make  me  a  board, 
of  light  material,  seven  feet  in  length  and  five  in  breadth, 
and  painted  as  pure  a  white  as  possible ;  with  handles 
for  carrying,  and  a  ring  by  which  it  could  be  suspended. 
This  idea  was  suggested  to  me  by  the  use  of  the  black 
board  in  schools  and  academies.  I  drew  upon  my  white 
board,  (on  as  large  a  scale  as  its  dimensions  would  allow, 
and  so  that  it  could  be  easily  seen  in  the  most  distant 
parts  of  our  meeting  house,)  that  dark  and  gloomy  ‘  Map 
of  the  Evangelical  condition  of  the  World,’  some  time 
since  published  by  the  American  Sunday  School  Union. 
It  exhibited  every  country  on  the  globe  destitute  of  pro- 
testant  Christianity,  with  a  surface  dark  as  India  ink 
could  make  it.  I  prepared  a  sermon  on  these  two  texts 
combined  :  Ps.  lxxiv.  20,  ‘  the  dark  places  of  the  earth,’ 
and  Ps.  evii.  10,  ‘Such  as  sit  in  darkness  and  the  shadow 
of  death.’  On  the  intermission  of  the  Sabbath  then  to 
occur,  on  the  evening  of  which  our  Monthly  Concert 
was  to  be  held,  with  the  assistance  of  my  carpenter  I 
suspended  my  white  board  map  above  my  pulpit,  and  so 
that  it  should  be  in  fair  view  of  the  congregation  ;  and 
standing  before  it,  proceeded  to  preach  my  sermon.  I 
described  each  country  very  much  as  I  had  done  before, 
but  illustrating  every  thing  local  by  turning  to  my  map 
and  pointing  out  all  with  a  staff.  That  dark  and  gloomy 
map  did  the  work  which  I  had  not  been  able  to  accom- 


11 


plish  with  my  most  pains-taking  and  earnest  preaching. 
It  accomplished  the  distinct  and  solemn  impression,  that 
indeed  ‘  the  world  lieth  in  wickedness.’  In  the  evening 
of  that  day,  the  attendance  at  our  Monthly  Concert  was 
doubled  ;  and  when  the  brethren  who  were  called  upon, 
prayed,  they  prayed  as  I  never  heard  them  before;  as 
though  they  had  seen  the  ‘  darkness  ’  which  ‘  covers  the 
earth,’  the  ‘gross  darkness’  which  ‘covers  the  people.’ 
Said  a  brother  in  the  church,  the  next  day,  ‘  I  had  no 
conception  before,  that  such  a  proportion  of  the  world 
was  without  the  gospel.’ 

“  Being  convinced  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  keep 
alive  in  the  minds  of  my  people  the  impression  of  that 
Sabbath  and  its  map  sermon,  in  all  our  future  Monthly 
Concerts,  and  having  other  uses  planned  for  my  white 
board,  I  drew  the  dark  map  on  a  still  larger  scale,  upon 
a  paper  surface  nine  feet  long  and  four  broad,  and  de* 
signed  for  permanence  and  as  a  map  of  reference,  to  be 
always  suspended  in  our  place  of  concert  meeting. 

“  My  next  measure  was,  to  draw  upon  the  white  board, 
from  time  to  time,  maps  in  outline,  of  portions  of  the 
world  with  which,  as  missionary  fields,  I  wished  to  make 
my  people  acquainted,  and  on  which  to  give  short  lec¬ 
tures  at  the  Monthly  Concert.  I  believe  that  my  first 
was  a  map  of  Hindostan,  drawn  on  the  scale  of  seven 
feet  length  by  five  breadth.  Providentially,  the  Rev. 
Hollis  Read,  formerly  of  the  American  mission  at  Bom¬ 
bay,  was  present  at  the  Monthly  Concert  for  which  this 
map  was  designed  ;  and  in  the  use  of  it  occupied  from 
forty  to  fifty  minutes  with  great  interest  to  the  congrega¬ 
tion.  While  an  American  pastor,  it  is  true,  who  has 
never  trodden  the  soil  of  a  heathen  country,  cannot  give 
the  precise  kind  and  degree  of  interest  to  such  a  lecture, 
which  can  be  given  by  a  returned  missionary  who  has 
seen  and  wept  over  ‘  the  region  and  shadow  of  death,’ 
yet  he  will  be  able  to  do  far  more  than  would  be  possible 
for  him  in  any  other  way,  to  interest  his  people  in  the 
work  of  prayer  and  effort  for  a  dying  world. 

“  My  experiments  have  been  continued  in  maps 
stretched  upon  the  white  board,  of  the  Pacific  ocean 
with  its  shores  and  islands,  and  affording  field  for  many 
lectures,  particularly  on  the  South  Sea  and  Sandwich 


12 


Islands  missions;  and  of  Armenia  and  the  countries 
adjacent,  on  which  I  am  now  giving  a  course  of  lectures. 
I  am  not  yet,  in  any  respect,  disappointed  in  my  antici¬ 
pations  of  the  practicableness  and  utility  of  the  prepara¬ 
tion  of  maps  upon  the  white  boards.  The  large  map  of 
the  evangelical  condition  of  the  world  also  answers,  in 
most  respects,  my  expectations  of  its  uses  for  reference, 
both  in  the  communication  of  monthly  intelligence,  and 
in  lecturing  on  particular  districts,  so  far  as  their  position 
are  concerned,  and  as  a  monthly  memento  to  the  church, 
of  the  condition  of  the  world,  and  the  reasons  for  hold¬ 
ing  such  meetings  as  the  Monthly  Concert.  Through 
the  liberality  of  an  individual,  we  are  also  furnished 
with  the  excellent  map  recently  published  by  the  Rev. 
Joseph  Tracy.  And  through  these  three,  and  the  occa¬ 
sional  use  of  others,  such  as  are  possessed  by  members 
of  the  congregation,  we  are  quite  well  provided  for  the 
present.” 

It  will  be  obvious  to  our  brethren,  pastors  of  churches, 
that  the  simple  exhibition  of  maps  with  some  few  expla¬ 
nations  of  them,  and  a  general  understanding  of  their 
design,  is  but  the  beginning  of  their  uses.  They  simply 
exhibit  to  the  eyes  of  an  assembly,  districts  on  which 
their  minds  must  be  instructed  ;  and  in  the  condition 
and  wants  of  which  are  almost  inexhaustible  materials 
for  information,  and  afford  points  for  earnest  and  power¬ 
ful  appeal  to  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  God.  These 
remarks  bring  us  to  consider  the  subject 

II.  Of  Preparations  for  the  Use  of  Maps  in  the  Monthly 

Concert. 

On  this  point,  as  upon  the  one  already  presented,  we 
give  statements  of  the  views  and  practices  of  different 
pastors. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Aiken,  pastor  of  Park-street  Church, 
Boston,  thus  expresses  his  views  :  “  Every  thing  depends 
upon  a  thorough  preparation.  Let  a  pastor  devote  time 
each  month  to  collecting  information;  fixing  facts  and 
places  in  his  mind,  making  himself  familiar  with  his 
maps,  so  that  he  can  proceed  at  the  Concert  without 
embarrassment,  and  he  will  not  long  complain  of  the 
small  attendance,  and  want  of  interest  in  the  meeting.” 


13 


The  Rev.  Mr.  Hooker,  of  Falmouth,  Mass.,  remarks, 
in  answer  to  inquiry  by  this  committee  on  his  method  of 
preparation  :  “  1  have  been  so  driven,  by  great  cares  in 
my  large  parish  and  frequent  revivals,  that  I  have  not 
bestowed  as  much  labor  on  this  point  as  is  desirable. 
When  I  can,  I  take  up  a  missionary  station  or  field,  say 
Siam,  or  Ceylon,  or  Borneo,  and  drive  through  every 
volume  of  the  Missionary  Herald  for  past  years,  (which, 
by  the  way  every  pastor  ought  to  own,)  and  every  other 
book  upon  which  I  can  Jay  my  hands.  I  take  notes  of 
all  interesting  matters,  as  history,  productions  of  the 
country,  objects  of  commerce,  manners,  customs,  reli¬ 
gion,  &c.,  together  with  as  full  account  as  possible  of 
the  mission,  down  to  the  present  time.  This  account 
fills  up  an  evening,  sometimes  more  ;  making  constant 
reference  to  the  map  as  occasion  requires.  At  other 
times,  I  get  as  much  information  from  the  Herald  and 
other  periodicals,  as  I  can;  reading  paragraphs,  condens¬ 
ing,  remarking,”  &c. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Barnes,  in  answer,  especially,  to  inqui¬ 
ries  on  his  studies  for  the  Monthly  Concert,  gives  a  state¬ 
ment  of  his  views  and  practice.  Having  expressed  his 
conviction,  given  under  the  previous  head,  of  the  great 
utility  of  maps  in  these  meetings,  he  proceeds  to  ob¬ 
serve  :  “But  they  need  much  study  with  them.  And 
no  man  can  make  much  use  of  them  who  will  not  take 
all  the  time  which  ought  to  be  taken  to  make  prepara¬ 
tion.  And  a  few  moments  or  hours  will  not  do.” 

That  this  pastor  spoke  from  experience  and  acts  on 
his  convictions,  on  this  point,  will  be  seen  from  the  fol¬ 
lowing  passages  :  “  My  practice  has  been,  to  commence 
my  preparations  at  an  early  part  of  the  week  previous  to 
the  Concert,  and  usually  to  spend  considerably  more 
time  on  it  than  I  ordinarily  do  in  the  preparation  of  a 
sermon.”  “  My  aim  has  been  to  state  the  religious  con¬ 
dition  of  the  country  which  w'as  the  subject  of  the  lec¬ 
ture,  or  to  give  to  a  friend  or  an  enemy  of  missions  an  in¬ 
telligent  view  of  the  obstacles  which  exist  to  the  introduc¬ 
tion  of  the  gospel,  and  of  the  arrangements  which  might 
exist  in  reference  to  it.  My  object  has  not  been  to  teach 
geography  as  a  science,  but  to  teach  whatever  might 
bear  on  the  subject  of  missions.  The  points  at  which  I 

2 


14 


have  usually  aimed  in  relation  to  each  country  have  been 
such  as  the  following  : 

“  I.  The  geography  of  the  country,  embracing  its 
location,  boundaries,  size,  population,  language;  and  in¬ 
cluding  under  this  head  whatever  I  might  find  in  archae¬ 
ology,  history,  manners,  customs,  &c.,  that  would  be 
interesting. 

“  II.  The  religion  of  the  country — I  mean  the  native 
religion — with  an  account  of  its  origin,  the  modes  of 
worship,  written  books,  &c. 

“  111.  The  obstacles  which  exist  to  the  introduction  of 
the  gospel,  arising  from  the  religion,  laws,  customs,  cli¬ 
mate,  &lc.  &,c.  ;  and  the  facilities  which  may  exist  from 
any  of  the  same  causes. 

“  IV.  The  history  of  former  attempts,  if  any,  to  intro¬ 
duce  the  gospel,  from  the  apostolic  time  to  the  present. 

“V.  The  present  state  of  missions  there;  the  number 
of  missionaries ;  by  whom  employed  ;  their  success,  &c. 

“  On  these  points  I  have  usually  found  enough  to 
occupy  all  the  time  that  can  be  allotted  to  this  exercise; 
and  have  believed  that  it  was  interesting  and  profitable 
to  the  people.  In  making  the  preparation  I  have  availed 
myself  of  all  the  books  to  which  I  could  have  access, 
bearing  on  these  points,  and  have  usually  found  no  diffi¬ 
culty  in  obtaining  what  I  wished.” 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Crosby’s  practice,  as  detailed  by  him¬ 
self,  has  been  this:  “In  selecting  my  subject,  I  had  a 
general  reference  to  the  state  of  the  public  mind.  I 
usually  selected  it  early  in  the  month,  had  my  eye  upon 
it  in  my  general  reading,  and  marked  any  thing  I  saw 
that  bore  upon  it.  On  the  morning  of  the  first  Monday  in 
the  month,  I  sat  down  with  the  general  plan  I  had  before 
formed  and  the  information  I  had  obtained,  and  gener¬ 
ally  spent  the  whole  day  in  preparing  for  the  meeting  in 
the  evening.  I  have  frequently  spent  eight  or  nine  hours 
in  my  study  on  that  day,  hard  at  work  preparing  for  the 
Concert.  It  was  with  me  a  settled  rule,  to  make  every 
thing  familiar.  I  do  not  read  from  the  Missionary  Her¬ 
ald,  or  from  any  other  book,  except  to  illustrate  some 
point .  I  never  hesitate,  however,  to  carry  books  into  a 
Monthly  Concert  if  I  have  occasion  to  refer  to  them,  but 
the  reference  must  be  short. 


15 


w  You  will  of  course  see  that  all  this  requires  time. 
And  how  can  a  minister  prepare  for  his  Monthly  Concert 
without  taking  time  ?  So  fully  am  I  persuaded  of  the 
importance  of  a  minister’s  devoting  time  and  study  to 
prepare  for  this  meeting,  that  I  am  in  the  habit  of  omit¬ 
ting  my  weekly  lecture  on  the  week  of  the  Monthly 
Concert.” 

III.  Effects  of  the  Use  of  Maps  in  awaking  interest,  6pc. 

In  some  of  the  statements  of  experiments  already 
given,  this  point  has  been  incidentally  illustrated.  Ad¬ 
ditional  ones  are  here  given,  more  particular. 

Rev.  Mr.  Aiken,  of  Park-street  Church,  Boston,  who 
has  observed  and  participated  in  some  of  the  best  experi¬ 
ments  for  giving  interest  to  the  Monthly  Concert,  which 
have  been  made  in  our  country,  remarks :  “  I  am  con¬ 
vinced  that  a  wise  use  of  maps  is  a  valuable  aid  to  the 
Monthly  Concert.  It  gives  the  pastor  a  rare  opportunity 
for  instruction  and  profitable  remarks  on  the  interests  of 
Christ’s  kingdom.” 

Rev.  Mr.  Barnes  also  gives  his  testimony  on  this  point : 
x(  I  am  more  and  more  impressed  with  the  utility  of 
maps  in  the  Monthly  Concert  ;  and  believe  that  a  great 
change  would  be  produced  in  the  interest  of  the  meeting 
by  their  appropriate  use.  My  meeting  has  considerably 
more  than  doubled  in  numbers  since  I  begun  the  plan, 
and  increased  at  a  much  larger  ratio  in  interest  and 
profit.  I  should  anticipate  the  happiest  results  in  regard 
to  the  cause  of  missions,  if  the  pastors  would  lay  them¬ 
selves  out  to  give  all  the  profitable  information  about  the 
religious  state  of  a  country  which  they  might.” 

In  confirmation  of  these  views,  the  Rev.  Nehemiah 
Adams,  pastor  of  Essex-street  Church,  Boston,  observes  : 
“  If  there  was  ever  a  question  which  seemed  to  have  but 
one  side,  it  is  that  which  concerns  the  use  of  maps  at 
the  Monthly  Concert.  I  hope  that  the  discussion  of  the 
question  will  not  excite  objections  which  otherwise  would 
never  have  existed  ;  though  it  is  difficult  for  me  to  con¬ 
ceive  of  any  that  can  be  raised,  except  those  which  may 
grow  out  of  a  want  of  information  or  of  interest  in  the 
subject.  My  observation  of  the  use  of  maps  at  the 


16 


Monthly  Concert,  has  led  me  to  wish  that  all  who  con¬ 
duct  that  service,  would  make  the  experiment  of  using 
maps  to  illustrate  missionary  intelligence.  In  the  in¬ 
creased  interest  and  information,  and  contributions  of 
their  people,  they  would  also  find,  that  what  has  been 
said  by  those  who  have  made  these  experiments,  is  con¬ 
firmed  by  their  own  experience. ” 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Crosby,  after  describing  his  first  experi¬ 
ment  already  given,  observes  :  “  Henceforth  our  Monthly 
Concerts  were  our  most  numerously  attended  evening 
meetings.  We  often  had  to  bring  in  extra  seats.  And 
what  is  most  pleasing  of  all,  in  one  instance,  certainly, 
if  not  in  more,  the  first  indications  of  a  revival  of  reli¬ 
gion  were  discovered  in  the  Monthly  Concert.  We  gen¬ 
erally  had  three  prayers,  and  joined  in  singing  when  a 
proper  stopping  place  occurred,  or  the  people  became  a 
little  weary.” 

The  Rev.  H.  Winslow,  pastor  of  Bowdoin-street 
Church,  also  remarks,  on  the  effect  of  their  use  :  “  They 
seem  to  increase  the  interest  of  the  meetings;  of  course 
make  them  more  fully  attended,  and  thus  have  operated 
favorably  in  extending  the  missionary  spirit  and  enlarg¬ 
ing  the  contributions.  How  much  of  the  increase  of 
interest  in  our  Concerts  is  referable  to  the  use  of  maps, 
I  cannot  say,  as  other  causes  have  conspired,  but  I 
should  think  considerable.” 

Rev.  H.  B.  Hooker  also  observes,  of  their  effect  : 
“  Much  interest  has  in  this  way  been  excited  in  our 
Monthly  Concert,  and  the  people  have  expressed  great 
satisfaction  with  the  course.  I  have  found  such  maps  of 
special  use  among  the  young,  at  Concerts  held  with 
them.  The  interest  awaked  in  their  minds  has  been 
very  gratifying.  Questions  to  them  relating  to  the 
maps,  their  own  geographical  knowledge,  the  moral  state 
of  the  heathen,  &c.,  have  stirred  up  their  minds  and 
awakened  their  attention  in  a  very  high  degree.  I  am 
persuaded  that  due  attention  to  this  course  will  be  of 
great  importance  in  making  the  people  better  acquainted 
with  the  missionary  cause  ;  giving  them  definite  concep¬ 
tions  of  the  countries  already  occupied  or  to  be  occupied 
by  the  heralds  of  the  cross,  and  associating  the  fields  of 
missionary  enterprise  with  other  regions  of  the  world 


17 


already  and  perhaps  better  known  to  them.  I  think  also 
that  as  the  maps  of  various  countries  are  exhibited  for 
missionary  purposes,  there  will  be  an  excellent  opportu- 
nity  to  glance  at  the  various  political  relations  of  those 
countries  to  each  other,  and  the  most  important  events 
occurring  in  them  from  time  to  time,  and  the  bearing  of 
these  events  upon  the  interests  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 
Thus  the  providences  of  God  may  be  noticed  in  connec¬ 
tion  with  the  moral  condition  and  prospects  of  the  world  ; 
while  the  great  cause  of  missions  may  become  associated 
in  the  minds  of  men  with  the  political  and  providential 
occurrences  of  the  times,  and  thus  acquire  interest, 
when,  but  for  some  such  association,  there  would  have 
been  little  or  none.  For  example,  a  Monthly  Concert, 
with  a  map  of  China  before  the  audience,  might  be  made 
deeply  interesting  by  showing  its  position  in  relation  to 
surrounding  nations,  as  Siam,  Thibet,  Japan,  neighbor¬ 
ing  islands,  &c. ;  showing  the  present  aspect  of  affairs 
in  the  contest  with  Great  Britain,  with  a  brief  history  of 
the  opium  trade  and  its  pernicious  effects.”  Writing  at 
a  more  recent  date,  Mr.  Hooker  observes :  “  More 
attend  than  formerly,  and  much  larger  collections  are 
taken  up.  Persons  out  of  the  church  are  much  inter¬ 
ested,  and  are  regularly  present;  and  I  think  their  inter¬ 
est  is  increased  by  the  use  of  maps,  and  the  various 
interesting  discussions  to  which  their  use  give  rise. 
This  course  very  much  interests  the  young.  I  think  its 
influence  over  this  class  will  be  exceeding  happy.  God 
has  been  and  is  now  pouring  out  his  Spirit  upon  this 
class  among  us  ;  and  I  intend  no  pains  shall  be  spared 
to  have  the  missionary  spirit  diffused  among  them.  Our 
Concerts  powerfully  aid  this.” 

It  appears  one  very  great  encouragement  to  pastors  to 
adopt  this  system,  that  it  is  so  easy  to  interest  religious 
assemblies  in  it ;  to  hold  attention  for  any  length  of 
time  proper  to  be  devoted  to  it ;  and  greatly  to  assist  the 
conceptions  of  hearers  relative  to  a  given  portion  of  the 
great  field,  in  various  points.  Christians  need  to  know 
when  and  what  the  country  is,  and  the  condition  of  its 
inhabitants,  for  whose  enlightening  with  the  gospel  they 
are  to  give  their  contributions  and  offer  their  prayers. 
If  it  is  mapped  out  before  their  eyes,  and  described  in  its 


18 


moral  conditions,  they  will  receive  deeper  impressions 
than  it  is  possible  for  them  to  gain  through  the  mere 
reading  or  hearing  of  statements,  however  well  drawn  up. 

The  pastor  last  quoted  has  suggested  another  point  for 
consideration,  of  great  importance,  and  which  appears 
the  result  of  his  own  experience  and  practice  :  “  I  think 
it  of  great  importance  to  throw  upon  men’s  minds,  who 
are  interested  in  the  political  aspects  of  the  nations,  as 
much  as  possible  of  our  views  of  the  great  fact,  that 
this  world  belongs  to  Christ  ;  has  been  redeemed 
by  his  blood  ;  that  he  is  using  means  to  reclaim  it  from 
its  darkness  and  guilt ;  and  that  we,  his  ministers,  are 
looking  upon  the  world  with  the  deepest  interest  in  its 
affairs,  for  these  reasons.  We  are  looking  for  its  moral 
emancipation,  hailing  every  auspicious  event  with  glad¬ 
ness,  and  joyfully  confident  that  there  will  yet  be  a  glori¬ 
ous  redemption.  Now  the  use  of  maps  naturally  and 
easily  suggests  many  interesting  facts  respecting  the 
state  of  the  nations.  While  the  eye  is  upon  them,  it  is 
easy  to  make  a  happy  use  of  great  events  in  their  politi¬ 
cal  history,  and  their  past  and  present  condition,  as  related 
to  the  growing  kingdom  of  the  Redeemer.  In  this  way 
we  may  incline  numbers,  who  have  not  been  accustomed 
to  such  trains  of  thought,  to  consider  the  moral  bear¬ 
ings  of  the  events  which  are  occurring  in  various  parts 
of  the  world.” 

IV.  Practicability  of  this  course  of  Missionary  Instruc¬ 
tions ,  by  Pastors  of  Churches. 

This  committee  anticipate  the  questions,  “  Are  you 
not  proposing  a  plan  for  the  conduct  of  the  Monthly 
Concert,  which  will  make  a  heavy  addition  to  the  studies 
and  public  labors  of  pastors?  Will  it  not  unreasonably 
tax  the  health,  strength  and  time  of  some  ministers,  and 
interfere  with  the  other  and  stated  duties  of  the  minis¬ 
try?  On  this  point  also,  we  have  and  give  the  views  of 
pastors.  Rev.  Mr.  Aiken  remarks,  respecting  the  meet¬ 
ing  held  in  Park  Street  Church  :  “  This  Concert  owes 
much  of  its  interest  to  the  labors  of  Dr.  Anderson,  one 
of  the  Secretaries  of  the  Board,  who  regularly  attends 
it;  yet  the  service  done  by  him  is  such  as  may  be  per- 


19 


formed  by  any  pastor,  who  will  use  the  maps,  avail  him¬ 
self  of  the  common  sources  of  information,  and  give  the 
requisite  attention  to  the  subject.”  Rev.  Mr.  Winslow, 
in  reply  to  a  question  particularly  put  to  him  on  this 
point,  observes  :  “  I  see  not  why  all  pastors  may  not  use 
them.”  “It  is  my  opinion,  that  they  may  be  introduced 
to  advantage  in  all  Concerts.  The  experiments  having 
been  successfully  made,  nothing  remains  for  pastors  to 
learn,  except  what  they  will  easily  learn  by  experience.” 

But  we  would  farther  say,  we  feel  confident  that  no 
pastor,  after  having  carefully  and  diligently  made  the 
experiment  for  three  months,  or  even  for  a  single  Con¬ 
cert,  will  feel  any  difficulty  on  this  point.  Those  labors 
in  which  the  heart  with  all  its  best  feelings  of  benev- 
olence  has  become  interested,  are  rendered  light  and 
easy  of  performance.  They  come  to  be  esteemed  a 
pleasure  which  cannot  be  sacrificed,  instead  of  being 
accounted  toils  burdensome,  and  to  be  avoided.  And 
this  brings  us  to  another  point. 

V.  The  interest  of  Missionary  Studies  to  the  mind  of 

the  Pastor ,  in  Preparation  for  the  Monthly  Concert. 

No  lecturer,  in  any  of  the  departments  of  science  and 
learning,  enjoys  higher  satisfaction  in  his  studies,  than 
may  the  pastor  with  a  true  missionary  spirit,  in  those  of 
which  we  speak.  “  The  field  is  the  world,”  over  which 
he  can  expatiate,  and  in  which  he  can  prosecute  his 
researches.  If  he  is  capable  of  being  interested  in  the 
study  of  mankind,  in  their  various  conditions,  and  the 
study  of  the  gospel  as  adapted  to  the  wants  of  mankind, 
and  is  willing  to  study,  he  will  find  himself  compensated 
at  every  step  of  his  prosecution  of  this  course.  Let 
pastors  speak  on  this  point,  who  have  tried  the  experi¬ 
ments  stated  in  this  paper. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Barnes  will  doubtless  be  regarded  a  good 
witness.  “  I  know  not,”  he  observes,  “  that  I  have  ever 
pursued  a  course  of  studies  that  has  been  more  gratify¬ 
ing  or  more  profitable  to  myself,  than  this.  Whatever 
may  have  been  the  effect  upon  my  people,  I  have  always 
felt  myself  abundantly  repaid  for  all  the  toil  which  the 
preparation  has  cost  me.  I  am  persuaded  that  no  pastor 


20 


can  pursue  a  method  somewhat  like  this,  without  great 
interest  and  advantage  to  himself,  and  without  utility  to 
the  missionary  cause.” 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Aiken  says:  “The  hours  given  to  a 
faithful  preparation  for  this  meeting,  the  pastor  will  soon 
regard  as  among  the  most  profitably  spent  in  his  life.” 
Rev.  Mr.  Adams  observes  :  “  Pastors  would  find  their 
own  knowledge  of  geography  revived  ;  definite  impres¬ 
sions  respecting  missionary  fields  fixed  in  their  own 
minds,  with  enlarged  views  of  the  relations  which  the 
several  stations  bear  to  adjacent  countries;  and  much 
assistance  would  be  afforded  them  in  giving  variety,  and 
suggesting  incidents,  and  connecting  important  miscella¬ 
neous  knowledge  with  the  services  of  the  Concert.” 
Rev.  Mr.  Hooker,  of  Falmouth,  says  :  “  I  see  not  why 
this  course  may  not  be  every  where  adopted  ;  at  least  the 
occasional  use  of  maps.  It  will  cost  the  pastors  some 
extra  hard  work  to  push  this  matter  along,  and  draw 
from  it  all  the  good  it  is  capable  of  furnishing.  But 
they  are  called  to  it  by  the  exigency  of  the  times.  Be¬ 
lieving,  as  I  do,  that  the  Concert  is  a  powerful  agency 
for  increasing  the  missionary  spirit  among  our  congrega¬ 
tions,  I  feel  that  we  should  make  the  most  of  it.  I  can¬ 
not  forbear  saying  that  the  reaction  of  this  system  on  the 
pastor  himself  is  eminently  valuable.  He  cannot  study 
out  a  Monthly  Concert  subject,  with  a  map,  and  with  a 
purpose  of  using  it,  without  giving  an  order,  clearness, 
and  definiteness  to  his  own  ideas,  which  he  would  be 
able  to  gain  in  scarcely  any  other  way.  It  will  fix  his¬ 
torical  facts;  the  relation  of  countries  and  places  to 
each  other ;  interesting  incidents  in  the  progress  of  a 
mission,  &c.,  and  will  fix  them  in  his  mind,  and  prove  of 
great  advantage  in  better  qualifying  him  for  his  impor¬ 
tant  work  as  connected  with  the  conversion  of  the 
world.” 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Crosby,  on  this  point,  asks  :  “  Where 
is  the  pastor  who  does  not  wish  his  people  to  be  familiar 
with  the  details  of  the  missionary  enterprise  ?  If  they  see 
him  interested,  they  will  soon  catch  at  least  a  portion  of 
his  spirit  and  feel  the  value  of  intelligence.  And  then, 
in  the  acquisition  of  such  knowledge,  there  is  an  expand¬ 
ing,  elevating  influence.  It  liberalizes  the  mind  ;  arms 


21 


it  against  the  arts  of  the  sophist,  and  shields  it  against 
the  power  of  the  objectors  to  missions.  After  all,  its 
influence  upon  the  minister  himself  is  perhaps  the  most 
valuable.  Keeping  himself  thus  fully  informed  on  the 
subject  of  missions,  he  feels  a  more  lively  interest  in 
them.  In  the  progress  of  time,  he  acquires  a  large 
amount  of  geographical  and  historical  information,  and 
all  in  the  regular  discharge  of  his  ministerial  duties.” 

With  such  testimony  from  pastors  who  have  probably 
as  little  time  for  extra  labor  as  any  men  in  our  country, 
it  is  believed  that  our  brethren,  pastors,  will  be  convinced 
that  they  are  not  only  called  to  consider  it  as  a  practica¬ 
ble  system  of  studies  and  efforts,  but  that  they  are  invited 
into  a  field  of  research  and  labor,  presenting  promise  of 
most  rich  satisfaction  to  their  own  hearts,  and  most 
invaluable  improvement  to  their  own  minds.  If  any 
thing  need  be  added  to  the  strength  of  this  conviction,  it 
can  be  furnished  in  the  language  of  one  of  the  pastors 
(Rev.  H.  B.  Hooker)  from  whom  testimony  under  this 
head  has  already  been  given,  and  whose  preparations  for 
the  Monthly  Concert  probably  fit  him  as  much  as  any 
man  to  delight  in  this  department  of  labor.  “  I  love,” 
says  he,  “  to  stand  before  a  map  of  a  nation,  and  espe¬ 
cially  before  a  map  of  the  world,  and,  pointing  the  audi¬ 
ence  to  it,  to  say,  ‘  There  are  the  regions,  the  continents, 
the  islands  of  a  fallen  world.  Our  Redeemer  is  their 
rightful  possessor,  though  the  present  ruler  is  the  prince 
of  darkness.  We  are  wresting  them  from  Satan  by  our 
missionary  triumphs.  We  have  set  up  the  standard  of 
redeem  in  or  love,  here  and  there.  We  have  this  nation 
now  sitting  at  His  feet,  ‘  whose  right  it  is  to  reign  ;  ’  and 
that  is  beorinninof  to  humble  itself  before  him.  We 
have  a  little  spot  on  this  dark  continent  illumined  with 
his  gospel,  and  on  that  benighted  island  we  have  ‘  set  up 
our  banner.’  We  have  made  openings  into  the  realms 
of  sin  and  death,  and  our  beloved  missionary  co-workers 
are  there,  distributing  the  bread  and  the  waters  of  life. 
The  world  is  our  Lord’s,  and  we  are  conquering  it  for 
Him.  There  it  is  ;  a  vast  field  ;  but  through  his  power 
and  grace  we  shall  prostrate  every  idol,  break  down 
every  strong  hold,  and  cause  every  knee  to  bow  to  ‘  the 
Prince  of  peace.’  ” 


22 


VI.  Construction  of  Maps  and  Methods  of  Use. 

Statements  on  this  point  have  been  necessarily  in¬ 
cluded  in  some  of  the  accounts  of  experiments  given 
under  another  head.  A  few  suggestions  will  be  given, 
the  result  of  experiments  by  one  of  this  committee  in 
the  preparation  of  sketches  upon  the  white  board.  The 
dimensions  and  construction  of  the  board  have  been 
given.  Upon  this,  maps  can  be  drawn  of  sufficient  size 
and  distinctness  of  delineation,  to  be  seen,  with  ease,  in 
the  most  distant  parts  of  an  ordinary  church  or  lecture 
room.  This  work  consists  simply  in  copying,  on  an 
enlarged  scale,  maps  of  continents,  countries,  or  groups 
of  islands,  &,c.,  from  any  good  Atlas.  The  first,  and 
indeed  principal  part  of  the  work,  is  the  accurate  draw¬ 
ing  of  the  lines  of  latitude  and  longitude.  These,  of 
course,  must  be  only  the  same  in  number  and  relative 
demarkation  upon  a  surface  of  seven  feet  by  five,  as 
upon  a  common  quarto  page  of  an  Atlas  ;  and  accurate 
measurements,  in  the  use  of  dividers  and  a  seven  foot 
measure  marked  in  inches,  will  be  necessary  ;  and  then 
the  careful  drawing  of  the  lines  of  latitude  and  longi- 
tude.  This  last  can  be  done  in  the  use  of  the  seven 
feet  measure,  of  course,  where  strait  lines  are  to  be  made ; 
and  in  the  use  of  a  cord,  having  one  end  fixed  at  the  proper 
centre  and  the  other  end  with  a  pencil  fixed  in  it  at 
such  a  distance  from  the  centre,  that  when  the  sweep  of 
the  cord  is  made  with  the  pencil,  it  shall  describe  upon  the 
board  a  line  of  proper  curvature.  Or  this  may  be  done 
with  the  seven  feet  measure,  if  made  thin  and  of  elastic 
material,  by  bending  or  springing  it  to  the  proper  degree 
of  curvature,  and  then  drawing  the  lines  by  it  with  a 
pencil.  The  lines  of  latitude  and  longitude  accurately 
drawn,  the  next  part  of  the  process  is  to  draw,  with  a 
common  lead  pencil,  and  by  the  eye,  with  the  Atlas  map 
before  you,  the  shores,  boundary  lines,  and  other  princi¬ 
pal  features  of  the  district  required.  Passing  on  from 
one  square,  made  by  the  lines  of  latitude  and  longitude, 
to  another,  and  making  each  square  on  an  enlarged 
scale,  to  contain  precisely  as  much  as  is  laid  down  in 
the  same  square  on  the  Atlas  map,  and  no  more,  the 
enlarged  draught  is  accomplished  with  ease  and  correct- 


23 


ness,  and  the  way  then  prepared  for  sketching  rivers, 
mountains,  subordinate  divisions  of  the  country,  and 
making  the  locations  of  principal  cities,  missionary  sta¬ 
tions,  and  other  important  objects.  Thus  much  done 
with  a  common  lead  pencil,  the  next  step  in  the  process 
is — in  the  use  of  a  camel-hair  brush,  and  with  water 
colors,  (which  are  strongest  and  most  easily  visible  by 
contrast  with  the  white  surface  of  the  board) — to  trace 
over  all  the  lines  of  shores,  &c.,  which  have  been  made 
with  the  pencil.  For  this  India  ink  should  be  used  first, 
and  then  vermillion  or  some  other  color  of  like  vividness, 
drawn  in  close  parallel  with  these.  The  difficulty  of 
making  water  colors  adhere  to  the  oil  paint  surface  of 
the  board,  is  obviated  by  having  first  rubbed  it  over  with 
a  sponge  dipped  in  alkali  or  a  strong  solution  of  soap  and 
water,  and  allowed  to  dry.  The  shading  necessary  to 
be  done  along  the  shores  of  oceans,  seas  and  lakes,  and 
around  islands,  is  best  done  with  a  lead  pencil,  in  the 
use  of  light  strokes  such  as  will  be  made  in  the  horizon¬ 
tal  play  of  the  hand,  and  which  after  a  very  little  prac¬ 
tice  will  be  done  with  ease  and  rapidity.  The  inscribing 
of  names  of  districts,  cities,  rivers,  &c.,  will  be  best 
done  with  a  small  camel-hair  brush,  in  th  3  use  of  India 
ink.  The  time  required  to  draw  such  a  map  depends 
upon  the  ingenuity  and  skill  of  the  person  who  does  it. 
Almost  any  person  will  acquire,  in  the  preparation  of 
two  or  three  such  sketches,  a  facility  which  will  make  it 
easy  to  accomplish  a  sketch  in  a  short  time  ;  and  so  that 
if  a  new  map  even  every  month  be  necessary,  it  shall  be 
easy  to  have  it,  with  only  the  expense  of  a  few  hours 
time  and  labor. 

It  is  here  suggested,  that  it  is  well  to  have  this  descrip¬ 
tion  of  maps  drawn  with  neatness  and  in  good  taste, 
and  made  agreeable  to  the  eye,  in  their  whole  appear¬ 
ance  ;  and  to  be  in  all  points  as  much  like  the  Atlas 
maps  from  which  they  are  drawn  as  possible.  The  face 
of  the  board,  if  properly  painted,  will  present  to  the  eye, 
at  a  little  distance,  a  surface  much  resembling  drawing 
paper;  and  a  map  neatly  and  accurately  executed  upon 
it,  will  make  upon  the  eye  of  the  observer  an  impression 
even  of  beauty.  And  nothing  of  this  kind  is  ever  lost 
upon  a  religious  assembly,  if  done  in  good  taste.  The 


24 


face  of  the  white  board  may  need  a  new  coat  of  paint 
once  in  a  year,  which  is  easily  given. 

If  time  be  not  at  the  pastor’s  command  for  the  draw¬ 
ing  of  the  maps,  his  studies  of  the  field  to  be  laid  down 
can  be  done  by  an  Atlas  map  ;  while  he  deputes  the 
labor  of  drawing  to  some  of  the  young  members  of  his 
church,  to  whom  it  may  be  a  most  useful  geographical 
exercise,  and  in  time  a  pleasant  employment.  The 
necessity,  also,  of  their  giving  attention  to  some  inter¬ 
esting  field  for  missions,  followed  by  listening  to  a  lec¬ 
ture  upon  it  at  the  Monthly  Concert  by  the  pastor,  may 
kindle  up  in  some  hearts  the  missionary  spirit,  and  prove 
the  commencement  of  the  preparation  of  some  of  the 
younger  sons  and  daughters  of  the  church  to  go  forth 
on  the  errand  of  Christian  love  to  the  perishing  in  the 
“  ends  of  the  earth.” 

The  methods  of  exhibiting  maps  before  an  assembly 
are  perhaps  sufficiently  indicated  in  the  statements  of 
experiments  already  given.  The  general  advice  may  be 
here  given,  that  their  advantageous  exhibitions  should 
be  studied  in  the  various  particulars  of  fixtures  for  their 
suspension,  position,  light,  height  from  the  general  level 
of  the  audience,  &c.  On  this  subject,  valuable  hints 
will  be  found  in  the  pamphlet  by  the  Rev.  Joseph  Tracy, 
designed  as  a  Key  to  the  map  of  Western  Asia,  recently 
prepared  by  him.* 

It  will  not  be  difficult  for  any  pastor  to  provide  himself 
with  maps  from  which  to  take  sketches  for  monthly  use, 
on  the  white  board.  The  Atlasses  now  published  with 
school  geographies  will  furnish  him  with  some.  The 
larger  ones  designed  for  family  libraries,  will  add  to 
these.  Maps  will  also  be  found  in  the  volumes  of  Dr. 
Robinson,  of  Rev.  Messrs.  Smith  and  Dwight,  and  many 
others.  The  maps  of  smaller  districts  and  missionary 


*  This  committee  take  great  pleasure  in  recommending  to  their  breth¬ 
ren,  pastors,  and  to  the  churches,  the  new  and  beautiful  map  above  men¬ 
tioned,  and  now  to  some  extent  in  use  in  Monthly  Concerts.  Embracing 
as  it  does,  upon  an  extended  scale,  some  of  the  most  interesting  fields  of 
missions  into  which  this  Board  have  entered,  and  so  well  adapted  for  ref¬ 
erence  in  the  communication  of  current  missionary  intelligence  from 
month  to  month,  it  is  an  article  without  which  no  pastor  and  church  should 
be  willing  to  pass  a  Monthly  Concert.  It  is  gratifying  to  learn  that  this 
map  is  to  be  followed,  (if  properly  patronized,)  with  others  5  of  the  world, 
on  an  extended  scale,  and  of  the  various  portions  of  it ;  and  is  to  furn¬ 
ish,  when  the  series  is  completed,  a  set  of  maps  adapted  in  every  practi¬ 
cable  way,  to  give  interest  to  the  Monthly  Concert.  (See  Appendix.) 


25 


t 

stations,  like  the  Sandwich  Islands,  Ceylon,  and  others, 
and  which  have  been  published  in  a  pamphlet  form  by 
the  American  Board  ;  the  Cerographic  ma,ps,  published 
by  the  editors  of  the  New  York  Observer ;  and,  in 
short,  almost  all  descriptions  of  maps  and  charts  to  be 
met  with,  can  be  made  valuable  by  any  pastor  who  will 
take  pains  to  collect  them,  in  order  to  constitute  a  stock 
from  which  to  draw  his  sketches,  from  month  to  month. 

VII.  Books  of  Reference,  for  Use  in  the  Preparation  of 
Lectures  for  the  Monthly  Concert. 

It  may  be  questioned,  by  our  brethren,  pastors,  whether 
the  want  of  books  of  reference,  in  sufficient  number  and  of 
the  proper  kind,  for  use  in  the  preparation  of  lectures,  may 
not  be  an  obstacle  in  the  way  of  the  plans  proposed  in  this 
paper.  We  would  reply,  that  the  libraries  of  most  pastors 
probably  contain  some  books  of  the  kind  needed.  Almost 
any  pastor  in  New  England,  it  may  be  presumed,  has,  or 
can  collect,  in  the  families  of  his  parishioners,  one  com¬ 
plete  series  of  the  Missionary  Herald,  which  is  almost  a 
missionary  library  in  itself.  From  the  books  of  authen¬ 
tic  travellers,  though  their  objects  may  have  been  explor¬ 
ing  for  scientific,  commercial,  or  political  purposes,  and 
which  may  be  found  in  the  libraries  of  parishioners,  or 
in  the  libraries  of  societies  or  lyceums  to  which  he  has 
access,  he  will  be  able  to  derive  information  respecting 
many  portions  of  the  world.  But  what  books  he  cannot 
obtain  thus,  or  afford  to  purchase  from  his  own  purse,  he 
can  perhaps  obtain  in  still  another  way.  Every  church, 
in  these  days,  which  would  cherish  the  spirit  of  Chris¬ 
tian  missions  in  itself,  and  help  in  this  great  cause, 
should  provide  itself  with  a  Missionary  Library.  This 
is  one  of  the  ways  in  which  churches  should  show  that 
they  design  to  “  live  for  the  world,”  as  to  be  converted 
to  Christ]3  Without  lessening  their  contributions  to  send 
forth  and  sustain  missionaries,  they  can,  in  one  year,  lay 
a  foundation  for  such  a  library,  in  the  purchase  of  a  few 
volumes  carefully  selected.  This  may  be  increased  by 
the  presentation  of  books  from  family  libraries;  and 
thenceforward,  from  year  to  year  increased  by  appropria¬ 
tions  from  the  church  treasury,  or  by  contributions  for 
this  particular  purpose,  to  be  laid  out  by  the  pastor  and 

3 


26 


deacons  for  purchase  of  new  and  valuable  books,  such  as 
are  suitable  for  such  a  library.  And  almost  before  he 
would  know  it,  a  pastor  may,  in  these  several  ways,  find 
himself  surrounded  with  sufficient  helps,  so  far  as  books 
of  reference  are  concerned,  to  begin  his  course  of 
Monthly  Concert  lectures  to  advantage  ;  and  would  find 
his  stock  increasing  from  year  to  year.  Additional  to 
this  help  to  the  missionary  studies  of  the  pastor,  would 
be  this  advantage  also,  that  the  members  of  the  church 
and  the  intelligent  and  reading  portion  of  his  congrega¬ 
tion,  could  have  access  to  this  library  for  half  of  each 
month,  to  get  books  to  read  ;  while  the  rules  for  return¬ 
ing  books  might  place  them  all  in  his  hands  in  season  to 
make  his  preparations  for  the  coming  Concert.  That 
church  must  be  poor  indeed,  whose  members  are  unable 
to  place  thus,  in  the  hands  of  their  pastor,  the  means  for 
preparing  to  impart  to  them  interesting  and  profitable 
instruction  at  the  Monthly  Concert. 

It  will  be  found  also  of  great  assistance,  doubtless,  to 
every  pastor  who  can  take  a  religious  weekly  journal, 
added  to  the  Missionary  Herald  and  the  Dayspring;  that 
the  commercial  enterprise  of  this  active  age  is  bringing 
to  us  intelligence  respecting  other  and  distant  portions 
of  the  world,  and  which  is  industriously  gleaned  for  the 
religious  press,  and  brought  to  our  doors  every  week. 
Amidst  this  “  running  to  and  fro,”  of  the  men  of  the 
world  as  well  as  the  missionaries  of  the  cross,  “  knowl¬ 
edge  is  increased.”  And  any  pastor  who  remembers  the 
Monthly  Concert  every  time  he  reads  his  religious  news¬ 
paper,  and  notes  facts  and  occurences,  will  find  that  he 
does  not  lack,  even  in  that,  valuable  matters  of  refer¬ 
ence.  In  short,  a  pastor  with  the  true  missionary  spirit, 
and  keeping  his  eyes  open,  will  derive  aid  from  many 
and  often  unanticipated  sources,  for  this  object. 

For  the  convenience  of  pastors  and  churches,  disposed 
to  try  the  experiment  of  a  Missionary  Library,  a  few 
wTorks  will  here  be  mentioned  :  Encyclopaedia  of  Geog¬ 
raphy,  3  vols.  ;  Tracy’s  History  of  the  American  Board 
of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  second  edi¬ 
tion;  History  of  American  Missions,  by  Tracy  and 
others  ;  Choule’s  History  of  Missions  ;  Stewart  and  Dib¬ 
ble’s  Sandwich  Islands ;  Southgate’s  Armenia  and  Per- 


27 


sia  ;  Dr.  Grant  on  the  Nestorians ;  Medhurst’s  China  ;  An¬ 
derson’s  Peloponnesus  ;  Smith  and  Dwight’s  Researches 
in  Armenia;  Read’s  Christian  Brahman;  History  of 
South  Sea  Missions,  (by  Mrs.  Smith,  of  Middlebury,  Vt. ;) 
Dr.  Robinson’s  Researches  in  Palestine;  the  Memoirs 
of  Brainard,  Martyn,  Parsons,  Fisk,  Buchanan,  Mrs. 
Winslow,  Mrs.  Judson,  Mrs.  Smith,  and  other  mission¬ 
aries;  Winslow’s  History  of  Missions;  Ellis’s  Polynesian 
Researches  ;  Jowett’s  Christian  Researches  in  Syria  and 
the  Holy  Land  ;  Tyerman  and  Bennet’s  Journal;  Wil¬ 
liam’s  Missionary  Enterprises  ;  Long’s  View  ;  the  Voyages 
of  Bougoinvilie,  Cook,  La  Perousa ;  the  Geographies  of 
Make  Brun  and  Bell ;  Plarris’s  Great  Commission, 
&c.  &c. 

Should  it  be  apprehended  by  any  of  our  brethren, 
pastors,  that  in  such  a  course  of  lecturing  at  Monthly 
Concerts,  there  will  be  liability  of  exhausting  the  cata¬ 
logue  of  subjects,  this  committee  would  observe,  that  a 
few  experiments  made  in  the  preparation  of  lectures, 
and  these  experiments  made  in  the  diligence,  thorough¬ 
ness  and  patience  of  research  appropriate  in  the  exami¬ 
nation  of  any  subject  of  knowledge,  will  put  that  ques¬ 
tion  at  rest.  The  studies  of  a  pastor,  for  the  instruction 
of  his  people  at  the  Monthly  Concert,  on  their  duties  to 
dying  men,  are  studies  of  the  world ,  in  its  almost  in¬ 
numerable  diversities  of  condition,  physical,  moral,  spirit¬ 
ual,  social  and  political  ;  in  its  exhibitions  of  character, 
various  almost  to  infinity  ;  in  its  errors,  delusions  and 
deceits,  innumerable  ;  and  in  its  forms  and  phases  of 
unhappiness  and  wretchedness,  like  the  sands  on  the  sea 
shore,  like  the  stars  in  the  sky,  which  cannot  be  reck¬ 
oned  up.  There  is  presented,  in  truth,  to  the  eye  of 
every  pastor,  in  this  subject,  almost  a  new  science;  a 
department  of  knowledge  and  instruction  having  all  the 
interest  and  attractions  of  entire  newness.  If  a  pastor 
cannot  expect  to  exhaust  the  gospel ,  as  a  system  of 
instruction  for  a  world  of  lost  men,  not  much  more  can 
he  expect  to  exhaust  the  subjects  of  study  which  enter 
into  the  condition  of  this  world  as  a  field  for  the  spread 
of  that  gospel.  The  young  pastor,  with  the  spirit  of  a 
missionary,  and  the  love  of  research  which  belongs  with 
this  spirit,  may  begin  this  month  his  researches,  and 


28 


continue  them,  and  bring  forth  from  one  month  to 
another,  till  the  frosts  of  “  three  score  years  and  ten,  and 
fourscore  years  55  shall  have  whitened  his  locks  ;  and  even 
then  cease  from  these  studies  and  labors  and  lie  down 
on  his  dying  bed,  conscious  of  it,  and  saying  it,  “  I  have 
but  begun  the  study  of  the  world  as  the  field  for  the  dis¬ 
play  of  the  power  and  the  triumphs  of  ‘  the  gospel  of  the 
grace  of  God.5  55 


Concluding  Remarks. 

The  inquiry  has  been  considerably  agitated,  in  past 
years,  how  shall  the  Monthly  Concert  be  rendered  more 
interesting  and  profitable  ?  And  many  a  one  of  you, 
brethren,  pastors,  has  probably  said  in  himself,  u  how 
shall  I  bring  the  people  of  my  charge  adequately  to  un¬ 
derstand  and  feel  the  true  condition  of  this  dying  world, 
and  to  pray  and  act  as  they  ought  for  its  conversion  to 
Christ?  55  It  is  our  hope  that  something  has  been  done, 
in  the  foregoing  statements,  towards  answering  these 
questions.  The  inquiries  have  been  virtually  made  in 
our  churches,  “  who  are  the  destitute  on  whose  behalf 
we  are  to  pray,  and  to  send  the  gospel  to  whom  we  are 
to  contribute  ?  Where  are  they  ?  What  their  numbers, 
condition,  errors,  prospects  for  eternity  ?  What  has 
been  done  for  them  ?  And  what  remains  to  be  done  ?  ” 
The  pastor  who  adopts  the  course  of  instrumentalities 
now  recommended,  will  find  that  he  is  in  the  way  to 
answer  such  inquiries  to  his  people  ;  and  to  keep  the 
answers  so  before  their  eyes  and  their  minds,  that  they 
shall  be  effectually  influenced,  in  their  prayers  and  their 
contributions,  in  aid  of  the  world’s  conversion.  If  it 
should  seem  to  any,  at  first  sight,  that  too  much  is  pro¬ 
posed  and  asked  of  them,  in  the  plan  of  studies  and 
efforts  now  presented,  we  would  earnestly  urge  them  not 
to  dismiss  the  subject  without  trying  the  plan,  and  in  the 
conclusion  that  they  can  do  nothing.  What  have  our 
Monthly  Concerts  been  in  past  years,  brethren,  com¬ 
pared  with  what  it  now  appears,  from  fair  experiment, 
they  might  be  rendered  ?  Have  we  not  lost  time  ;  and 
is  not  the  enterprise  of  missions  far  behind  the  point  of 
progress  which  it  might  have  reached,  in  serious  fact 


29 


through  the  want  of  more  done  to  give  interest  and  effi¬ 
ciency  to  this  meeting  ?  The  spirit  of  missions  in  our 
churches,  brethren,  depends  much  upon  how  we  preach 
to  our  congregations  on  its  behalf;  but  it  alsodepends 
very  much  on  the  means  which  we  use,  in  the  Monthly 
Concert,  to  stir  them  up  to  prayer  and  effort. 

The  time  seems  to  have  arrived,  in  the  providence  of 
God,  for  both  pastors  and  churches  to  enter  into  the 
great  enterprise  of  missions  with  an  earnestness,  zeal, 
and  solemn  consecration  of  spirit,  beyond  what  has  ever 
been  before  manifested.  To  this  end,  if  we  mistake 
not,  we  who  are  pastors  must  become,  beyond  any  thing 
we  have  been  before,  students  of  the  great  subject  of 
missions  ;  and  our  churches  must  be  “  Societies  of  In¬ 
quiry  ”  on  this  great  subject,  whom  we  must  meet,  from 
month  to  month,  with  the  results  of  study  and  research, 
which  shall  make  them  intelligent  for  the  offering  of 
prayer,  and  liberal  in  the  bestowment  of  alms.  Our 
churches  will  keep  pace  with  our  advances  in  this  mat¬ 
ter.  The  pastors  who  have  tried  the  methods  recom¬ 
mended  in  this  paper,  have  found  their  churches  awaking 
from  the  slumbers  of  indifference  ;  and  listening,  pray¬ 
ing,  and  giving  as  they  never  have  done  before.  It  is 
reasonable  to  believe,  that  no  pastor  will  put  forth  his 
efforts  thus  in  vain.  And  the  fidelity  and  earnestness 
and  diligence  in  missionary  studies,  of  pastors,  may  be 
contemplated,  with  good  confidence,  as  the  means, 
through  the  Divine  blessing,  of  giving  new  and  mighty 
impulses  to  the  missionary  spirit  in  the  churches,  and  of 
prompting  to  efforts  more  principled,  systematic,  power¬ 
ful,  and  on  a  scale  far  more  enlarged  and  commensurate 
with  the  magnitude  of  the  object  before  us,  than  ever 
yet  has  been. 

In  saying  these  things,  brethren,  we  have  virtually 
said  that  the  pastors  of  churches  are  mainly  responsible 
for  the  depth  and  strength  of  the  missionaryspirit  in  the 
churches.  We  mean  to  say  it,  distinctly  and  solemnly. 
Pastorship,  in  every  point  of  view,  involves  high  and 
solemn  responsibilities;  for  the  purity  of  the  churches 
in  the  faith,  practice,  and  order  of  the  gospel,  and  for  all 
else  which  conduces  to  the  advancement  of  the  kingdom 
of  Christ  in  a  Christian  land.  But  just  as  directly  and 

3  * 


30 


solemnly  does  pastorship  also  involve  responsibility  for 
what  the  church  shall  be,  as  a  body  pledged,  for  the 
propagation  of  the  gospel  through  the  world,  in  obedience 
to  the  high  command  of  her  ascended  Lord.  This  may 
seem  like  adding  to  that  pressure  under  which,  hitherto, 
and  in  view  of  labors  for  souls  immediately  around 
them,  pastors  have  been  saying,  “  Who  is  sufficient  for 
these  things  ?  ”  But  brethren,  let  us  remember  him, 
our  Master,  who  stood  under  the  mighty  pressure  of 
responsibility  for  the  enterprise  of  the  salvation  of  a 
world  from  ruin ;  and  who,  to  every  minister  of  his, 
under  the  pressure  of  deepest  consciousness  of  responsi¬ 
bility,  speaks  that  word  so  full  of  encouragement,  “  My 
grace  is  sufficient  for  thee.’5  Need  we  then  hesitate  or 
shrink  a  moment  from  the  work  proposed?  What  more 
do  we  need  of  inducement  or  of  encouragement  to 
enter  into  it?  For  what  were  the  minds  of  men  made, 
brethren,  but  to  be  put  upon  the  intensest  stretch  of 
effort  of  which  they  are  capable,  and  which  is  called  for 
by  the  word  and  the  providences  of  God,  in  order  to  the 
more  rapid  advancement  of  the  kingdom  of  righteous¬ 
ness  and  peace  on  the  earth?  For  what  is  the  grace  of 
God  given  us,  and  through  it  perception  of  responsibility 
for  the  faithful  discharge  of  our  trusts,  but  that  we  may 
be  impelled  and  move  forward  in  an  unceasing,  untiring 
outlay  of  our  whole  strength,  in  the  work  we  have  to  do 
for  a  dying  world?  We  and  our  churches  expect  it  of 
the  missionaries  we  send  forth  that  they  will  act  thus, 
under  our  auspices  and  the  command  of  Christ.  And 
brethren,  our  Master  expects  us  to  do  the  same  ;  and  to 
incite  our  churches  to  do  so,  in  our  duties  and  labors 
at  home,  for  sustaining  our  brethren  and  strengthening 
their  hands  abroad. 

And  here  we  are  brought  to  another  point,  of  vital 
importance  to  the  future  advancement  of  the  cause  of 
missions;  which  is,  that  there  should  be  no  disparity  be¬ 
tween  the  tone  of  the  missionary  spirit  at  home,  and  the 
same  in  the  hearts  of  our  best  missionaries  whom  we  send 
abroad.  If  it  be  true,  in  natural  philosophy,  that  the  stream 
never  can  rise  higher  than  the  fountain,  then  we  may 
regard  it  as  also  true,  as  a  general  fact,  that  our  mission¬ 
aries  abroad  will  be  what  we  their  pastors  are  at  home. 


% 


31 


Pastors  and  churches  at  home,  must  be  accustomed  to 
“  see  eye  to  eye  ”  with  our  best  missionaries  in  the  field  ; 
and  to  labor,  “  hand  to  hand,  and  heart  to  heart  ”  with 
those  devoted  servants  of  Christ  and  the  church,  whom 
we  have  sent  “  far  hence  unto  the  Gentiles.”  Have  we 
not  felt,  brethren,  sometimes,  when  their  appeals  have 
come  home  to  us,  and  when  they  themselves  have  come 
home  and  spoken  to  us,  that  there  is  too  wide  a  disparity 
between  the  conceptions  of  their  minds  and  the  fervor  and 
earnestness  of  their  desires  for  the  conversion  of  men, 
and  those  of  many  of  us  who  “  dwell  among  our  own 
people,”  and  under  the  vines  and  fig-trees  of  this  land  of 
our  privileges.  When  we  see  some  of  them  “  face  to 
face,”  and  perceive  how  men  think,  feel  and  speak,  who 
have  come  up  out  of  “  the  land  of  the  shadow  of  death  ” 
to  tell  us  of  the  wants  and  woes  which  are  there,  and  of 
the  need  that  we  feel  more  deeply,  and  pray  more  fer¬ 
vently,  and  give  more  liberally,  we  are  made  ashamed  of 
ourselves,  and  to  be  conscious  that  we  are  but  half 
awake  to  the  magnitude  of  the  enterprise  in  which  we 
profess  to  be  engaged.  But  let  the  pastors  cultivate, 
with  steadiness  and  assiduity,  the  spirit  of  missions  in 
their  own  breasts,  and  enter  with  diligence,  enterprise 
and  pains-taking  into  the  study  of  missions,  as  a  part  of 
their  duty  as  ministers  of  the  Lord  Jesus ;  let  their 
instructions  to  their  churches,  from  the  pulpit,  at  proper 
intervals,  and  always  in  the  Monthly  Concert,  be  such 
as  shall  transfer  them,  in  thought,  to  the  lands  of  dark¬ 
ness,  and  help  them  to  look  on  the  miseries  of  men  with¬ 
out  the  gospel,  and  almost  to  hear  the  sighs  of  the  cap¬ 
tives  of  Satan,  and  also  let  them  show  their  churches 
what  God  hath  wrought  through  efforts  thus  far  made, 
and  in  answer  to  prayers  offered,  and  the  encouragements 
thus  given  them  to  “  go  forward  ”  in  the  work  ;  let  these 
things  be  done,  and  it  cannot  fail  that  the  ministry  and 
the  church  at  home  will  come  into  a  nearer  conformity  to 
the  pattern  of  Christ,  to  the  spirit  of“  the  Lord  of  the 
harvest ;  ”  and  be  prepared  to  sympathize  more  inti¬ 
mately  with  their  missionaries,  and  to  sustain  them  more 
efficiently  in  their  arduous  work.  When  this  shall  be,  it 
will  not  be  needful  to  say  to  the  Christian  in  the  land  of 
his  privileges,  “  awake  thou  that  sleepest ;  ”  or  that  re- 


32 


quests  to  the  church  for  her  prayers  and  her  contributions, 
shall  be  made  in  painful  doubt  and  uncertainty  whether 
she  will  render  them.  She  will  not  suffer  her  Lord  to 
point  out  to  her  her  duty  in  vain;  nor  his  servants  to  ask 
her  to  do  it,  in  vain.  There  will  be  the  promptitude  and 
energy  of  Christian  action  which  fervent  Christian  be¬ 
nevolence  inspires,  fed  by  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God  in  the 
souls  of  his  sealed  ones.  The  cries  of  our  brethren 
from  their  fields  would  be  anticipated,  and  they  made  to 
feel  that  “  though  we  be  absent  from  them  in  the  flesh,  yet 
we  are  with  them  in  the  spirit ;  ”  that  in  nothing  are  we 
coming  behind  their  own  consecration  of  spirit  to  this 
great  and  high  enterprise,  the'  evangelization  of  the 
world.  There  will  not  be  heard  in  all  the  church  at 
home,  the  question  whether  the  pictures  of  moral  desola¬ 
tion  given  by  our  missionaries  are  not  overdrawn,  and 
whether  there  is  not  needless  earnestness  and  loudness 
in  the  voices  of  our  missionaries.  The  church,  instructed 
thus  by  her  pastors  ;  her  eye  kept  on  the  desolations  of 
the  earth  ;  her  ear  kept  attent  on  the  voices  from  afar  ; 
and  her  heart  and  conscience  plied  with  the  appeals  of 
duty,  and  of  encouragement  to  its  faithful  performance  ; 
she  will  not  be  able  to  withhold  her  hands  from  her  work, 
not  to  keep  her  voice  from  supplication  to  her  God,  nor 
to  hoard  up  her  treasures  to  be  “  cankered.”  The  mis¬ 
sionary  spirit  will  have  close  affinity  with  all  her  enjoy¬ 
ments  of  her  privileges  and  of  her  precious  and  lively 
hopes.  And  truly,  to  her  “  to  live  will  be  Christ.”  The 
object  of  her  establishment  in  this  dark  world  will  be 
answered  ;  her  Mighty  Redeemer  and  God  will  be  hon¬ 
ored  ;  and  her  own  preparation  delightfully  advanced,  to 
“  enter  into  the  joy  of  her  Lord,”  and  into  “  the  rest 
which  remaineth  for  the  people  of  God.” 

Christian  Brethren,  Pastors  of  the  Churches  patronising 
the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Mis- 
sions,  shall  these  things  come  to  pass  ?  Do  your  hearts 
desire  them  ?  Shall  your  prayers  be  for  them  ?  And  more, 
shall  the  methods  by  which  we  have  endeavored  to  show 
you  that  these  results  can  be  reached,  have  the  sanction 
of  your  adoption  among  your  respective  charges?  Shall 
this  be  done  speedily  ?  Shall  the  years  next  coming  on, 
show,  that  in  the  use  of  these  means  you  are  moving 


33 


onward  perseveringly,  intently,  unitedly,  and  the  churches 
with  you  ;  delighting  to  be  laborers  together  with  Christ; 
and  knowing  no  joy  so  sweet  as  in  his  service  ;  having 
no  hope  so  lively  as  “  hope  of  the  glory  of  God,”  of  the 
triumphs  of  the  “  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords,”  and 
of  that  glorious  consummation,  “  the  kingdoms  of  this 
world  have  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and 
of  his  Christ?”  The  Board,  on  whose  behalf  we  ad¬ 
dress  you,  will  wait  for  your  reply.  But,  brethren,  one 
higher  than  any  earthly  board, — the  Lord  of  missions 
icaits  your  reply. 

In  behalf  of  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  Missions, 

E.  W.  HOOKER,  ) 

ALBERT  BARNES,  >  Committee. 

DANIEL  CROSBY,  ) 


/ 


APPENDIX. 


In  the  following  letter  addressed  to  the  Chairman  of  the  Committee,  who 
prepared  the  preceding  document,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Tracy  enumerates  the 
maps  which  will  probably  make  up  his  series  for  the  Monthly  Concert, 
when  completed. 


Boston,  June  6,  1842. 

Rev.  and  Dear  Sir  : 

I  expect  that  my  series  of  Monthly  Concert  Maps  will 
contain, 

1.  A  Map  of  the  World,  on  hemispheres  of  three  feet  in 
diameter.  On  this  I  am  now  engaged,  and  am  finishing  some 
parts  of  it  more  carefully  and  slowly,  in  the  hope  of  diminish¬ 
ing  the  necessity  for  local  maps.  For  example,  I  hope  to  get 
down  the  missions  in  the  Oregon  territory,  so  that  a  distinct 
map  of  that  territory  will  not  be  needed. 

2.  A  Map  of  Western  Asia  and  parts  adjacent,  already  pub¬ 
lished. 

3.  A  Map  of  “India  within  the  Ganges,”  including  Ceylon 
of  course,  and  probably  Caubul  and  Afghanistan,  and  perhaps 
Persia,  so  as  to  connect  with  the  map  of  Western  Asia. 

4.  A  Map  of  South  Eastern  Asia,  including  the  Malayan 
Archipelago,  Siam,  and  the  south  part,  at  least,  of  China.  The 
necessary  extent  of  this  map  can  better  be  determined  after 
the  map  of  the  world  is  completed,  as  I  can  then  see  what 
parts  need  to  be  shown  on  a  larger  scale.  The  same  remark 
will  apply  to  several  maps. 

5.  A  Map  of  Western  Africa,  and  another  of  Southern 
Africa ;  or  a  map  of  that  whole  continent,  unless  the  several 


35 


parts  of  that  continent  should  show  plainly  enough  on  the  Map 
of  the  World. 

6.  A  Map  of  Syria  and  Palestine,  embracing  the  late  dis¬ 
coveries  of  Robinson  and  Smith,  and  the  still  later  surveys  of 
the  British  army. 

7.  Such  smaller  maps  as  may  be  called  for ;  for  example,  the 
Sandwich  Islands;  the  Tamil  country;  the  District  of  Jaffna; 
Siam.  The  publication  of  these  will  depend  on  the  call  for 
them. 

Probably,  the  plan  will  be  considerably  modified,  as  one  part 
of  the  world  after  another  is  subjected  to  a  close  examination. 
The  maps  are  to  be  as  few  and  cheap  as  will  answer  the  pur¬ 
pose. 

Yours  truly, 

JOSEPH  TRACY. 


MONTHLY  CONCERT. 

The  following  letter  from  the  Rev.  John  Richards,  of  Hanover, 
IN.  H.,  published  in  the  Vermont  Chronicle,  of  July  20,  1842,  describes  a 
method  of  conducting  the  Monthly  Concert,  which  is  worthy  of  considera¬ 
tion  by  the  pastors. 

It  would  have  perhaps  the  following  advantages  : 

1.  It  would  set  intelligent  and  influential  members  of  the  church  to  the 
study  of  missionary  subjects,  for  their  own  good. 

2.  It  would  turn  to  account  their  talents,  and  Christian  feelings,  and 
influence,  in  the  churches,  for  the  cause  of  missions. 

3.  It  would  give  variety  to  the  Concerts,  whereby  minds  of  different 
cast  might  be  interested. 

4.  If  the  missionary  spirit  has  place  in  the  pastor,  it  will  through  the  aid 
of  such  brethren,  with  the  divine  blessing,  be  communicated  to  other 
members  of  the  church. 

The  Monthly  Concert  of  the  church  in  Dartmouth  College 
has  for  the  past  four  years,  been  regularly  increasing  in  its 
interest,  and  in  so  great  a  degree  as  to  be  worthy  of  some  re¬ 
marks.  For  the  years  ending  J une,  1835-6-7-8,  the  contributions 


30 


averaged  $100  a  year,  and  the  attendance  was  small.  In  1839, 
the  evening  was  changed  from  Monday  to  Sabbath  evening. 
A  committee  was  appointed  to  communicate  intelligence.  To 
each  member  of  this  committee  some  portion  of  the  world  was 
assigned,  from  whom  was  expected,  every  evening,  some  intel¬ 
ligence  or  remarks  respecting  it.  This  committee  have  been 
faithful  in  the  duties  assigned  them,  and  the  consequence  has 
been,  that  the  attendance  has  increased  so  much  that  for  a  year 
past  it  has  very  nearly  equalled  the  attendance  of  the  regular 
meeting  of  the  Sabbath,  forenoon  and  afternoon.  The  contri¬ 
butions  also  testify  to  the  increase  of  interest.  In  1839  they 
were  $125  ;  1840,  $168  ;  1841,  $210  ;  1842,  $265. 

Every  church  must  judge  from  its  own  circumstances  of  the 
expediency  of  holding  the  Monthly  Concert  Monday  evening 
or  Sabbath  evening ;  but  of  the  expediency  of  having  some 
system  of  providing  and  communicating  intelligence,  there 
cannot  be  a  question.  That  a  number  should  have  something 
to  say  each  evening,  is  better  than  that  an  individual  should 
occupy  the  whole  time  appropriated  to  remarks  and  narrative. 
Variety  is  desirable  here.  The  field  of  the  world  is  becoming 
daily  more  interesting  to  the  church,  and  from  the  monthly  and 
weekly  journals  of  the  religious  press,  there  can  be  no  want  of 
materials  for  the  purpose  of  the  Monthly  Concert.  Let  every 
church  do  its  duty  in  this  matter  and  this  meeting  will  be 
increased  in  efficiency  for  good  to  Zion. 


7# 


Jji'jb 


r 


•  *v 
$ 


$ 


